CHSCM 3.0 - Unit 1 - SCM in the Humanitarian World

We have looked at these barriers under a number of different headings, but there are also clear
links between some of the different barriers. For example:
• Power and self-interest can affect the level of trust
• Different goals and objectives can affect self-interest
• Culture and values can affect trust and communication
• Trust can affect the amount of communication taking place
We might assume that, where different functions within an organization need to work together to
manage the supply chain, there will be no barriers. We would be wrong to make this assumption.
There are a number of barriers, which include:
• Organization structure
• Different objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Culture
Most organizations, particularly the larger humanitarian organizations, are structured into different
divisions, functions, departments, and sections. This is a traditional way to structure and manage
any organization. These different parts of an organization were usually set up because they needed
to be operated as a specialist part of the organization, or because the organization was of such a
size that it needed to be managed in smaller functions or sections. Historically, it is common for
people to have a job and career within a specialist part of the organization and for them to seldom
venture very far outside their part of the organization and work with others in other parts.
This structuring of an organization is often referred to as silos. The problem is that it is not normal
practice for these different functions to work closely together.
Organizations are often structured into different levels. There will be functions where there are
roles and people working at head office level, regional level, country level, and local level. This
structure can be a barrier to people working together, as the actions of people at one level can be
seen to be inappropriate by people working at a different level. An example of this could be a
decision made by someone at a head office level to stipulate the type, make, and specification of
vehicles any regional or country fleet must contain. This would make sense from an organization
point of view, as it standardizes the specifications of vehicles throughout the organization and can
reduce the cost of purchasing the vehicles. But from some regional and country level perspectives,
the decision and the specifications are not seen as appropriate for certain regions and countries.
Where the organization structure is a significant barrier to functions working together, it may be
necessary to change the structure. This can involve changing the structure of the logistics/supply
chain function or introducing cross-functional teams to manage parts of the supply chain process.
Where supply chain activities are carried out by different functions within the organization, it may be